Driving the new Route 7 Wittpenn Bridge over the Hackensack River between Jersey City and Kearny that opened two weeks ago is a sharp contrast to the narrow lanes and other issues that made for a white-knuckle ride on the old bridge.
But the ride on the new span, with wider lanes, median barrier protection, shoulders and sidewalks is still missing something – three exits from the eastbound side that the old bridge used to offer. Currently the only exits from the eastbound bridge are to Route 1&9 North to the Lincoln Tunnel or Route 139 to the Holland Tunnel and Hoboken.
Exits to Jersey City, Route 1 & 9 South and to the industrial areas and warehouses on Fish House Road are still missing from the eastbound side. Covered up road signs on the new bridge, in addition to the memories of old Wittpenn Bridge drivers are testimony that something is missing.
But state DOT officials said they’re coming, one as soon as the end of the month and the others next year.
The first exit to be restored is the Route 7 east exit to Fish House Road southbound and U-turn, which are scheduled to reopen by the end of October, said Stephen Schapiro, a DOT spokesman.
Further out is opening a Route 7 east exit to Newark Avenue, Jersey City and to Route 1&9 southbound. That’s expected to be completed by fall 2022, he said.
When the old bridge was in use, those two exits were a simple slight right turn at a fork in the road. Traffic continued to a traffic light where drivers either continued straight to Newark Avenue or made a right turn to get on Route 1& 9 truck route.
The last missing piece, an entrance ramp from Fish House Road to Route 7 east, is expected to open by Spring 2022, Schapiro said.
#NJDOTProjectUpdate: The new Wittpenn Bridge in Jersey City is now open to traffic. Please be advised that not all traffic apps using GPS have been updated to reflect the new traffic patterns. Please use extra caution and follow current signage to get to your destination safely. pic.twitter.com/WGsiEoUYz0
Some of the next phase -- demolishing the old bridge and its approach roads -- is already underway.
“This (exit) work is independent of the bridge demolition,” Schapiro said. “The ramp from Fish House Road is closed to allow access for construction equipment needed to complete the mechanical and electrical operations of the new lift span.”
The demolition, though, will be complicated.
“Demolition started immediately on the east approach once traffic was shifted onto the new bridge,” Schapiro said. “The work is being done using large marine cranes, barges, temporary trestles and other equipment positioned north of the old bridge.”
Some of the equipment is too big to fit in the cramped space between the bridges unless the lift span on the new bridge is raised, he said.
“There will be a series of weekend closures of the Wittpenn Bridge this fall to safely begin demolition of the existing bridge and for continued testing of the lift span (on the new bridge),” he said.
Demolition work also has to be coordinated with Conrail shared assets, which owns the railroad bridge next to the old Wittpenn Bridge, which will require temporarily track outages, Schaprio said.
“We’re also working with the US Coast Guard to coordinate the lift spans and marine traffic for the railroads, including the PATH to the south and NJ Transit to the North,” he said.
The new bridge allows for the retirement of the 91-year old imposing lift bridge named for H. Otto Wittpenn, who was mayor of Jersey City from 1908 to 1913, and a member of the New Jersey State Highway Commission, the road building organization that came before the NJDOT.
Work on the new bridge began in 2011, with an original 2019 projected opening date pushed back due to complications involving the lift portion of the bridge, transported through the Panama Canal. The initial projected cost of $473 million has risen to $495.8 million. Weather issues from the remnants of Tropical Storm Ida in September pushed the bridge opening back to Oct. 1.
NJDOT officials advised drivers about the missing exits and that GPS navigation systems and apps might not be updated to include the new bridge, in a video posted to Twitter. Information has been provided by the DOT to GPS providers, Schapiro said.
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Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com.
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